Microsoft / Activision Deal Approval Watch |OT| (MS/ABK close)

Do you believe the deal will be approved?

  • Yes, will be approved without changes.

    Votes: 221 24.9%

  • Yes, will be approved but with structural changes to ABK.

    Votes: 102 11.5%

  • Yes, will be approved but only with behavioral concessions.

    Votes: 262 29.6%

  • No, will not be approved.

    Votes: 301 34.0%
  • Total voters
    886
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.
Astray said:
Bro, all Activision Blizzard King revenues will become Microsoft revenues after this deal, they will literally grow their revenue massively and overtake Nintendo.

Focusing on just gamepass growth on Xbox is missing the forest for the trees here.
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They will get the revenue, no doubt about that.

But that is all meaningless, if Xbox isn't a global unit.

Thirty7ven said:
They don't seem fine at all, Series is on track to fail harder than Xbox One.
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First 2 years of Xbox one was on fire due to x360, after that it died out.
Current xbs still has the stigma of the Xbox one and a lockdown which affected it's pipeline of games.
Thirty7ven said:
And this whole ABK will be multiplatform is such a joke. Why, because of Minecraft? Come on now. What about Bethesda then? It's a bad joke at this point. At best they keep it going on PS5 because otherwise the COD audience on PlayStation might just tell them to fuck off. And then next gen? Over.
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Aside of cod, they wanted to keep the games exclusive. But since regulators didn't budge in, they decided to make them available on PS and switch.
Without that, it would have been like zenimax.
 
Riky said:
Spencer said clearly that Activision just accelerates their plans, the goals will remain the same if the deal happens or not.
People have had these doom stories about Xbox since the original console, none have come true and they are still here decades later trying to make the biggest purchase in gaming history happen.
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I am against this acquisition as I don't agree with consolidation of third-party publishers regardless of the platform, but I do agree that people have been spouting doom-and-gloom stories regarding Xbox for a long time. I personally think that the industry overall would suffer without Xbox due to a lack of competition. I don't want them to close. That said, they have more studios than Sony at this point, so this acquisition isn't necessary in order to compete.

I am a firm believer that developers at Xbox have the talent to succeed, but I believe that the mid-to-upper management doesn't lead properly. And by that, I mean the management that should be working between the different studios and coordinating studio A who excels at X to collaborate with studio B who needs help with X. Some studios cross-collaborate well, but on the whole there is a lack of direction and guidance by management.

Just my $0.02.
 
Riky said:
Spencer said clearly that Activision just accelerates their plans, the goals will remain the same if the deal happens or not.
People have had these doom stories about Xbox since the original console, none have come true and they are still here decades later trying to make the biggest purchase in gaming history happen.
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Xbox has outlasted Sega as a home console maker both in terms of tenure and units sold in their lifetime, for reference.

Rumors of their demise have been greatly exaggerated.
 
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feynoob said:
They will get the revenue, no doubt about that.

But that is all meaningless, if Xbox isn't a global unit.


First 2 years of Xbox one was on fire due to x360, after that it died out.
Current xbs still has the stigma of the Xbox one and a lockdown which affected it's pipeline of games.

Aside of cod, they wanted to keep the games exclusive. But since regulators didn't budge in, they decided to make them available on PS and switch.
Without that, it would have been like zenimax.
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? There are no remedies regarding ABK games on other consoles. It's just words about COD.
 
adamsapple said:
Xbox has outlasted Sega as a home console maker both in terms of tenure and units sold in their lifetime, for reference.
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Congratulations I guess....

cheryl-cole-right.gif
 
S1L3NT SH0T 419 said:
Who would have thought?

www.reuters.com

FTC chair Khan accused of 'abuse of power' in new US House probe

The House Oversight Committee's Chairman James Comer opened a probe Thursday into U.S. Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan's management of the agency, citing complaints of abuse of power.
www.reuters.com www.reuters.com
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Since most people are going to react to the headline and not read the article, let me post the relevant part.

The article only references the Meta stuff, MS/Acti is not mentioned.

Comer's letter cited Wilson's concern over a transaction by Meta Platforms (META.O). She had accused Khan of abuse of power by voting to challenge Meta's acquisition of virtual reality content maker Within. Wilson argued that Khan had said before coming to the FTC that Meta should be barred from making additional acquisitions, and that this meant Khan should be recused from FTC deliberations regarding the deal.
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demigod said:
Leaving the UK script is back boyz 😂
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It certainly is should everything else I outlined not work out. The console warrior cope on here is pretty hilarious specially considering MS just hired lawyers to figure out how a geofencing the UK strategy would be best employed should it need to. I guess a trillion dollar company like Microsoft and the best lawyers in the world don't know better than gamers on Gaf though.
 
T
James Sawyer Ford said:
The three biggest markets have all raised concerns

UK CMA blocking it for Cloud

EU allowing it but said remedies for Cloud are sufficient

US FTC filing suit

It's disingenuous to claim this is all some universal approval of the deal and that there aren't legitimate concerns raised in the largest markets
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There's 4 big regulators the US, UK, EU and China. 2 of those have approved it and 1 is essentially assured (the US) as the FTC has a weak case against Microsoft and has lost pretty much every merger case in recent history. Had the CMA approved, MS would have already closed the deal as they would have China and EU approval already. You do not need FTC approval to close merger deals but the FTC can request a preliminary injunction which would have to be approved by an independent court, said injunction would very likely be denied because the FTC has a weak case under US law here.

In practical terms only 1 of the big 4 stands in MS way which is further fueling MS ability to close the deal as every other regulator has approved including South Korea. The CMA is a pain to deal with but they can't alone stop this deal, this is because Microsoft and ABK are too invested in it happening and 68bil scale of this acquisition means MS and ABK can put a lot of money on the line to make it happen. This is an unfortunate reality for many but like old saying goes "the truth hurts" .
 
Gameplay Gods Bless said:
T

There's 4 big regulators the US, UK, EU and China. 2 of those have approved it and 1 is essentially assured (the US) as the FTC has a weak case against Microsoft and has lost pretty much every merger case in recent history. Had the CMA approved, MS would have already closed the deal as they would have China and EU approval already. You do not need FTC approval to close merger deals but the FTC can request a preliminary injunction which would have to be approved by an independent court, said injunction would very likely be denied because the FTC has a weak case under US law here.

In practical terms only 1 of the big 4 stands in MS way which is further fueling MS ability to close the deal as every other regulator has approved including South Korea. The CMA is a pain to deal with but they can't alone stop this deal, this is because Microsoft and ABK are too invested in it happening and 68bil scale of this acquisition means MS and ABK can put a lot of money on the line to make it happen. This is an unfortunate reality for many but like old saying goes "the truth hurts" .
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In practical terms, 3/4 territories had major issues with Microsoft's acquisition. The EU only allowed it due to sufficient concessions. The UK did not find the concessions sufficient.

This isn't some deal that the regulators are all on board with and nobody but the UK has issues with. That's the point I was making.
 
feynoob said:
Its not.
They wont get anything new with Activision, other than gamepass increase. Xbox and PS will still get activision games. And PS will still have more COD players, simply because of the brand name.

You need to identify the problem first, which is their output and not having a distinguishable IPs that people like. That is what their current new studios need to fix. And that takes time.

If Xbox managed to survive Xbox one, then they can survive this gen fine. Because this gen is much better than the Xbox one, considering they have the studios that make games for them.
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I do feel that MS has a lot more potential to succeed now than they did last gen, which is why regulators should be careful about what purchases MS should be allowed to make. But their output has not actually been better so far, as far as I can tell. They had no big releases last year, and the only major exclusive this year seems to be Starfield and who knows how that will turn out. Just purely sales wise, they're doing worse than last gen too.
 
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Nydius said:
Keep huffing that hopium bud. This issue has been addressed and debunked multiple times over throughout this thread. Yet here you are, shilling the same bullshit.

That you Florian?
Or maybe Jez?

Another pathetic shill to block.
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Lmao I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you aren't American and US law is a foreign concept to you but there's a long list of mergers and acquisitions that closed without the FTC approval. But I imagine reality is not something you are particularly keen on considering the nature of your posts.
 
feynoob said:
www.ign.com

Microsoft Confirms Activision Blizzard Will Release Games on PlayStation 'Beyond Existing Agreements' - IGN

Microsoft has confirmed that "Call of Duty and other popular Activision Blizzard titles" will not just be released on PlayStation to honor existing contracts, but "beyond the existing agreement and into the future."
www.ign.com www.ign.com
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This is such a stupid thing to be quoting after Phil said exactly the same about Bethesda and instantly made all their in-development games exclusive the millisecond that acquisition closed.
 
Gameplay Gods Bless said:
T

There's 4 big regulators the US, UK, EU and China. 2 of those have approved it and 1 is essentially assured (the US) as the FTC has a weak case against Microsoft and has lost pretty much every merger case in recent history. Had the CMA approved, MS would have already closed the deal as they would have China and EU approval already. You do not need FTC approval to close merger deals but the FTC can request a preliminary injunction which would have to be approved by an independent court, said injunction would very likely be denied because the FTC has a weak case under US law here.

In practical terms only 1 of the big 4 stands in MS way which is further fueling MS ability to close the deal as every other regulator has approved including South Korea. The CMA is a pain to deal with but they can't alone stop this deal, this is because Microsoft and ABK are too invested in it happening and 68bil scale of this acquisition means MS and ABK can put a lot of money on the line to make it happen. This is an unfortunate reality for many but like old saying goes "the truth hurts" .
Click to expand...

SoloKingRobert SoloKingRobert , is that you?
 
PaintTinJr said:
Why do one side(your side) of the discussion always choose to frame things in a dishonest way?

The EU did one job - the same as the CMA - for 27 nation states. Not 27 jobs for 27 nations, and ironically had the UK still been part of the EU, our CMA probably would have still signalled to the UK government that the deal was an SLC, and the UK would have used its old veto to block the deal by the entire EU in the process. But no one would count that as 28 countries blocking the deal.

As it stands, of the four authorities listed in the SEC filing merger document that need to approve, China have approved the deal, and the EU have needed remedies - as a potential grift for fining with no thought for impact on competition- to approve. The two most important markets by gaming revenue for CoD, the UK and US are both blocking the deal. The UK have decided to block, and the US - where both companies are from - are in their process of opposing the deal with the delaying and legislation tools they have, and have informed the world they are blocking an "illegal" merger.

Not quite the same message with the context of facts, now is it?
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This has been said a 1000 times but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. The merger agreement can easily be altered it is no major roadblock to anything and the US has not blocked the deal, had the CMA approved Microsoft would have closed the deal regardless of the FTC lawsuit, in order to block it the FTC needs to file a preliminary injunction which needs to be granted by an independent court said courts pretty much never side with the FTC these days but please do go on about the "facts" that you know so much about, I hope to God you aren't American considering how ignorant you are of US law.
 
I'm so behind on this deal and this thread is +1000 pages :/ what's the 'explain it too me like I'm 5' TL;DR on the current status?
 
MasterCornholio said:
They would have altered it soon after the block to dodge the CMA. That didn't happen.

Also why they wanted everything done before July the 17th. If the merger could be changed so easily they would have changed that date already.
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They could have but that wouldn't have been a good move, the reason they'd do that is because they would be about to close the deal regardless of the CMA decision. It was too early to pull such a bold move and the earlier they do that the more costly it would be since they'd have less global approvals and conversely the CMA was in the best shape possible from a geopolitical perspective after they blocked but before EU and China approved, back then there was the very real risk that the EU would block as well which would have spelled doom for the acquisition. The CMA would look good and MS would look reckless, optics are big when you're trying to convince several nations to take your side. The more approvals MS receives the more left out in the cold the CMA is, the worst the CMA looks to the UK and the world and the easier it is to side with and understand Microsofts decisions. Like most things it's a political game.
 
IFireflyl said:
SoloKingRobert SoloKingRobert , is that you?
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Idk who that is but I imagine he's a big meme for those thinking the acquisition is done and dead. Such people are more interested in cheerleading for corporations then living in reality. This acquisition is still in the game and the more approvals it receives the quicker it gets to closing. There's a reason MS hasn't abandoned it like so many others blocked by the CMA would have and that's because too much is on the line (70b of it actually).
 
Gameplay Gods Bless said:
Idk who that is but I imagine he's a big meme for those thinking the acquisition is done and dead. Such people are more interested in cheerleading for corporations then living in reality. This acquisition is still in the game and the more approvals it receives the quicker it gets to closing. There's a reason MS hasn't abandoned it like so many others blocked by the CMA would have and that's because too much is on the line (70b of it actually).
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He's that idiot Florian on twitter who posting sheer propaganda about how the deal will close, inevitably. But you talk about living in reality while saying the more approvals, the quicker it gets to closing. That's just not how it works. There isn't a tally at the end and if MS has enough.....poof....acquisition. If CAT upholds CMA then the deal is dead unless MS does some really stupid shit.

MS hasn't abandoned this because there is no reason to. They have to finish the appeals process.
 
adamsapple said:
Xbox has outlasted Sega as a home console maker both in terms of tenure and units sold in their lifetime, for reference.

Rumors of their demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Click to expand...
Did Sega have a 2 trillion $ parent company backing it? If Xbox was its own company, the Xbone would have been the last console.
 
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adamsapple said:
Since most people are going to react to the headline and not read the article, let me post the relevant part.

The article only references the Meta stuff, MS/Acti is not mentioned.
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The headline is right there. You think I am going to take the time to read the article? Thanks for the cliff notes. :messenger_grinning:
 
Seems like the CMA is the only obstacle for Xbox but they technically can just pull out of that region and merge everywhere else.
 
What happens if this deal passes and MS goes after another publisher? Are fans going to say MS can do whatever they want and all they have to do is threaten regulators?

lol
 
DForce said:
What happens if this deal passes and MS goes after another publisher? Are fans going to say MS can do whatever they want and all they have to do is threaten regulators?

lol
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CMA and FTC will bend backwards for them, since MS can pull out from their country.
 
Gameplay Gods Bless said:
T

There's 4 big regulators the US, UK, EU and China. 2 of those have approved it and 1 is essentially assured (the US) as the FTC has a weak case against Microsoft and has lost pretty much every merger case in recent history. Had the CMA approved, MS would have already closed the deal as they would have China and EU approval already. You do not need FTC approval to close merger deals but the FTC can request a preliminary injunction which would have to be approved by an independent court, said injunction would very likely be denied because the FTC has a weak case under US law here.

In practical terms only 1 of the big 4 stands in MS way which is further fueling MS ability to close the deal as every other regulator has approved including South Korea. The CMA is a pain to deal with but they can't alone stop this deal, this is because Microsoft and ABK are too invested in it happening and 68bil scale of this acquisition means MS and ABK can put a lot of money on the line to make it happen. This is an unfortunate reality for many but like old saying goes "the truth hurts" .
Click to expand...
afkgaming%2Fimport%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2F64144-5f5d9b481fe5863c196d3441322ab983.jpeg
 
Gameplay Gods Bless said:
It certainly is should everything else I outlined not work out. The console warrior cope on here is pretty hilarious specially considering MS just hired lawyers to figure out how a geofencing the UK strategy would be best employed should it need to. I guess a trillion dollar company like Microsoft and the best lawyers in the world don't know better than gamers on Gaf though.
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MS wouldn't be a trillion dollar company if they left the UK. COD isn't worth that level of loss.
 
Godot25 said:
From MLex

- Microsoft executives are actively looking at ways to close the acquisition despite a UK veto on the deal, MLex has learned.

- The CMA currently has an interim order in place preventing Microsoft from acquiring "an interest in Activision or any of its subsidiaries." It is likely to make that permanent very soon.

- The surprise speed of the CAT appeal process may dampen any calls within the company for it to close the deal regardless of the UK block.

- "Our priority is pursuing the appeal process in the UK, and we remain committed to constructive dialogue and solutions to address regulatory concerns," a Microsoft spokesperson said today.

- Microsoft has hired extra lawyers and has tasked some with examining how it could close the Activision deal, MLex understands.

- One option could include Activision exiting the UK for another European country in a bid to remove itself from the CMA's jurisdiction. Its games could continue to be sold via a distributor. One rub is that any such decision must be taken by Activision to avoid breaching merger laws that stipulate that merging companies must be managed separately and independently until they actually close.

- Another option could see Microsoft extend remedies given to and accepted by the European Commission to the UK unilaterally, even though they were rejected as insufficient by the CMA.

- The company is also actively contesting the CMA's draft order that would give effect to its veto, banning Microsoft from acquiring an interest in Activision for several years, and vice versa. The ability of the UK watchdog to impose a global ban solely to address concerns relating to the UK market is at the center of that, MLex understands. Microsoft could challenge the final order in court to seek to narrow its scope, to potentially allow it to close elsewhere in the world.

- Alternatively, Microsoft could seek to close the transaction and argue that the order was illegal in its defense when sued by the CMA.

- In mid-May, a reporter for CNBC asked Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella whether the company could close the deal and just stop selling Activision's products in the UK. The CEO responded: "Let's wait for it all to play out." Asked by MLex on May 12 whether it could close around the UK, a representative of Microsoft said it was a "complicated question," but "at some point we may need to think about it." A spokesperson from Microsoft advised against reading too much into the comments.

It sounds like MS is ready to close this no matter what :eek:

Sooo...Pachter was right?
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Yeap they will close the deal. Eventually cma will approve but they will close the deal. It is done!
 
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